PwC Canada drives adoption of Generative AI with firmwide implementation of Copilot for Microsoft 365

• PwC Canada deploys Copilot for Microsoft 365 across its entire organization of 8,000 people with upskilling programs for all.
• This firmwide initiative is part of PwC Canada's $200M investment announced last year to support business reinvention through generative AI.
• 'Human-led, tech-powered' approach to generative AI will further advance PwC's capabilities to help clients digitally transform through a risk-aware and responsible framework.

TORONTO, April 3, 2024 /CNW/ - PwC Canada is among the first Canadian organizations to implement generative AI tools and technology organization-wide, with the deployment of Copilot for Microsoft 365 for the entire organization of 8,000 people. The firm-wide adoption of this innovative technology further strengthens the relationship with Microsoft and highlights PwC's commitment to expand and scale AI offerings to guide their clients in their digital transformation.

"We are proud of our ongoing collaboration with Microsoft. Our investment in generative AI is a defining step in our transformation journey and will help us further deliver tech-powered solutions that build trust and drive sustained outcomes. By upskilling all our people, we will be able to completely transform the way we work with our clients and fully harness the power of generative AI. We will be better positioned to help our clients reinvent their businesses, increase productivity and develop new products and services," said Chris Dulny, Chief Digital, Data and Innovation Officer, PwC Canada.

The AI opportunity in Canada: According to PwC's 27^th Global CEO Survey, Canadian CEOs see the opportunity that AI provides for reinvention. More Canadian CEOs (36%) say their organization has adopted generative AI, compared to their global counterparts (32%). Additionally, almost 1 in 3 Canadian CEOs believe that generative AI will increase their revenue in next 12 months.  

Canadian CEOs are optimistic about the quick adoption of generative AI given the improvements it can make to an organization with nearly 60% believing that it will significantly change the way their company creates value and delivers products and services.

The survey, which interviewed 4,702 CEOs across 105 countries and territories including 114 in Canada, explored the growing need for CEOs to reinvent their organizations and the results reveal opportunities to accelerate the pace of reinvention, leverage generative AI, and overcome barriers to change.

Ensuring responsible AI deployment: Despite the optimism around AI, Canadian CEOs recognize that AI could increase risk within their business related to cybersecurity (66%) and misinformation (52%), and more than half (55%) agree that AI will require significant upskilling of their workforce in the next three years.

Along with the investment and commitment to upskill its entire workforce, PwC will also enable governance and accountability through its Responsible AI framework which will help clients build and deploy generative AI technology across a variety of use cases with a focus on fairness and transparency, as well as protecting the confidentiality and security of data. Not only does this unlock greater value and outcomes for PwC clients, but it seeks to build greater trust in AI platforms, underscoring PwC's purpose?to build trust in society and solve important problems. 

"Reinvention is key to business growth and AI is enabling Canadian businesses to seize new opportunities and unlock their full potential in ways never thought possible," added Chris Barry, President, Microsoft Canada. "We are pleased to expand our collaboration with PwC Canada to implement Copilot for Microsoft 365 across their workforce, while also helping their teams enhance their AI skills to continue offering new value and possibilities for clients in their transformation journey."

Investing in people to help drive reinvention: Working together with Microsoft, PwC will be able to realize the disruptive potential of AI by upskilling its people and accelerating technological adoption in providing better client solutions. Employees will play an active role in this reinvention by uncovering opportunities to find AI-aided solutions to the inefficient processes that hold companies back.

Read more about the PwC CEO Survey here. To read more about the PwC and Microsoft partnership, click here. 

At PwC Canada, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. More than 8,000 partners and staff in offices across the country are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax, consulting and deals services. PwC refers to the Canadian member firm and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structureOpens in a new window for further details. Find out more by visiting us at: http://www.pwc.com/ca

SOURCE PwC Management Services LP